1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to flatware and more particularly to a method for creating flatware incorporating stone and shell accents into the handle to create a utensil with a decorative appearance.
2. Description of Prior Art
Decorative flatware is well known in the art. Flatware having a decorative handle component, which handle is formed of material separate from the remaining portion of the flatware, is also well known. Such handles may be formed of wood, plastic, ceramic, and other materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,356 (Keller, et al.), discloses a decorative flatware handle and a process for its preparation, whereby the handle is made of ceramic. In such cases, the handle is formed by a process, then attached to the flatware. The present invention materially differs from such prior art in that a separate handle is not prepared and then attached, but rather the handle is formed onto the flatware in stages, in a multi-step process.
The current invention utilizes “natural” items for the decorative aspect of the flatware handle. These “natural” items are crushed shell or crushed stone, though the stone may be synthetic (provided it is evocative of natural stone). Rather than painting, carving, forming into the surface, or otherwise representing shell and/or stone on the handle, as is done in the prior art, the present invention incorporates physical pieces of same within the flatware handle. This incorporation of actual “natural” elements into the flatware increases the attractiveness of the finished product to consumers. The prior art discloses the use of embedded organic or inorganic substances bonded to tool handgrips, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,894 (Wildforster), but said invention requires the bonded substances to extend beyond the handle surface so as to provide improved gripping regions. The present invention differs materially from Wildforster in that it is directed to a smooth handle without providing protuberances for improved gripping regions, with the embedded particulates fully contained within the handle and below the surface thereof. As such, the handle of the instant invention is required to be formed of a material which allows the visible display, at least in part, of the embedded particulates. Transparent or translucent materials therefore may be used to contain the particulates, but not opaque materials. Moreover, the instant invention requires the selection of organic or inorganic substances based on aesthetic effect. No known prior part discloses this combination of design features.